[Harp-L] re: All of this Comb talk...



Smokey Joe writes:

"My intent was to query as to WHY is it that a person cannot have a preference for a comb material (or whatever) yet there are those who wax eloquenty on and on ad infinitum about the attributes of amplifiers and microphones, processors, and recorders. My feeling was that whatever the player thinks is alright is fine with me and they should have that right. I mean, there are a lot of threads 'I' think are silly. But I wouldn't go so far as to be militant about it. Sometimes I tease and it gets me in trouble."


Feel free to believe whatever you want. I like aluminum, thus I like aluminum combs. That has nothing whatsoever in any way shape or form to do with the question of whether comb material difference effects the sound or performance of the harmonica. That is a physical question, which can be measured, examined, studied and tested. It is an objective fact, which may not yet be determined but can be. Whether one likes a certain material or not and how this might effect their performance is an entirely different topic. Not an unworthy one by any means--indeed, it is quite important--but a different one.


I believe this example has been used before, but consider loudness. The volume of a sound can be measured, usually in decibels. This is an exact number which represents a physical action. Whether a sound is _too_ loud is a question of personal taste. But, that has no bearing on the measure of how loud the sound is in decibels.

The same is true for the material of harmonica combs: whether or not a change in the comb material changes the sound of the harmonica can be measured and tested; whether someone prefers one material to another is a question of personal taste.

In physical terms, the harmonica is nothing special. It is a mechanical device, specifically a musical instrument. It behaves according to the same physical laws as anything else. As harmonica players we put a great deal of emotional investment into our instruments, but in mechanical terms they are no more esoteric than the keyboard I'm typing this on.




()() JR "Bulldogge" Ross () () `----'






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